Need carseat advice for month-long U.S. visit w/2yo (xposted to baby bargains)

[LittlePrince_Mom]

I would really appreciate all your wise opinions. I live overseas, my Mom's in the US and we visit her approximately once a year - year and a half. I have a Britax Wizard for DS which I love but am travelling alone and can't lug it over to the US. We were there when DS was 6m old and Mom bought an Evenflo carseat (don't quite remember which model but it had the T bat) which we were pretty happy with. Long story, but a friend of hers gave it away by mistake (grrrrrr) and now she needs to buy a new seat for our upcoming visit this Dec. We'll be there for a month and in the car a lot so we need something pretty good. Of course it's also winter with sleek/slippery roads and I refuse to compromise on safety. For now DS is the only grandchild, hopefully there will be more but we don't know when (major IF issues) so this chair might possibly only be used by my DS.
In short, we need a good comfy carseat that's not too expensive (I just can't justify the expense of a Britax for such minimal use) preferably something that will last a few years (i.e. a few visits). DS is now 2years old and very tall for his age (35.4 inches) but thin (26.5 lbs). We'll be in NY state if that makes a difference in car seat laws. I would really appreciate any suggestions for seats (and where to buy them)
Sorry this was so long and TIA
-E
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[Joni]

For a tall kiddo, I suggest an Evenflo Bolero/Generations seat. It is a combo booster that has a harness that tends to be accomodating for tall kids. It will keep your son harnessed until 40lbs then it turns into a BPB that will grow with your child. It starts at 20 lbs but is only a FF seat so it wouldn't be appropriate for a baby. I think for the amount of use, it would be the wisest choice. They run between $80-$100. If that is too much, consider an Evenflo Chase which is also a combo with the same limits but doesn't grow like the dedicated bpb. It can be found for around $60.
Both will work for the next 4-5 visits for you since they both work as boosters later, but the Bolero/Generations is a better booster.
They can all be found at Walmart.com or Target.com as well as on Ebay. (I suggest a store not an auction)
JONI CPST

[LittlePrince_Mom]

Thanks for your advice. I was considering the Graco Platinum Cargo or the new Cosco Apex65. Which do you think is the best choice in terms of quality/safety and how long they will last.
-E
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[Joni]

The Apex isn't looking like its going to come out but if it does I'd jump on that one. Otherwise, the Graco Platinum Cargo and the Evenflo seats I mentioned both have the harness weight but I think I heard that the harness will be a bit lower on the Graco's now. The other thing reason I tend to shy away from them is that when the time comes to use it as a booster, the Graco Cargo seats don't work as well. I'm a bigger fan of the Evenflo Bolero as a BPB later because it will offer an open loop design that allows the belt to slide retract freely when needed.
JONI CPST

[LittlePrince_Mom]

Thanks for the great advice. I wish I could wait till I arrive in the States to actually see the seats and make a decision, unfortunately we need the seat for the drive from the airport too so I need to have my mom purchase it in advance. Maybe I'll just give her the three options and see what she chooses. It's incredible how much I can agonize over a seemingly simple thing. Thanks again
-E
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[Joolsplus2]

The Apex is definitely out.. a friend of mine bought one already :)

http://photobucket.com/albums/y247/cpsnisi/Cosco%20Safety%201st%20Apex/?action=options

Its major shortfall is that it has that idiotic (and I'm being nice, there) headrest issue like the High Rider, where the vehicle seatback/headrest has to be behind the kid's head...Arrrrgh! Finally an affordable higher weight seat, and the folks who are bound to be buying them are also generally the same folks without good headrests in their cars <scream with frustration>



Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[Joni]

The seat sure looks neat but I'm bummed about the seat back thing...So it looks like the Husky/Marathon is still a better bet there. The Apex will have its purpose in older cars with lap only belts because they tended to have nice tall seats but its not going to work in most older SUV's. Too bad. Amazed that it finally showed up though.
JONI CPST